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Mayor says iPads will save city money

The Clinton mayor kicked off last week’s City Council meeting saying that he stands by his decision to buy 10 iPads for the city.

Roger Rorie stacked piles of envelopes, each stack about 2 feet high, to show the printouts he has received during his six years as mayor.

The cost of the paper, he said, is insignificant to the city. The real cost, Rorie said, is in the hours it takes to make that many copies for each City Council member. He said three employees, two from City Hall and one from the Water Department, spend two days making the copies.

Rorie said costs for the copy machine, which had to be replaced in January 2012 because of the heavy workload, and toner made the price even higher. He said without having to print out packets, the new copy machine, which cost $5,084.85, should last 10 or 20 years.

The cost for the iPads was about $7,600.

“We are not wasting the city’s money,” Rorie said. “It will be a great savings for the city of Clinton.”

Also at the meeting, Rorie said the city will be enforcing its animal control ordinance from 2000. “There is a leash law, and we are going to enforce it,” he said.

When talk turned to the Water and Sewer Department, Manager Isaac Keeling said the water treatment plant took a direct lightning hit during Wednesday’s storms. He said the phone and cable service were knocked out and the alarm call box wasn’t functioning. He said an employee was manning the system while it was out.

He also said Dennard Water had a large leak that took several hours to find. The leak was from a line that collapsed due to heavy rain, Keeling said.

Water loss for the past month was 32 percent, he said.

Rorie said the department has asked McClelland Engineering for preliminary cost for an Actiflo system. He said until the city has an estimate for a system to clean up the water, “We don’t know what to do as far as asking for a rate increase, sales tax or what.”

Also at the meeting, Jackie Sikes, who has been asking the council to take steps to ensure school children’s safety in crossing walks, offered another suggestion: speed cushions. These, she said, have a more gradual incline and don’t impede the speed of emergency vehicles or school buses.

Rorie said the city would continue to look into a solution.

Also Thursday, Dennis Berry, son-in-law of Lois Nixon, asked that the city lower the price it is billing Nixon for impounding fees on 28 cars they towed from her property. The cars, Berry said, are owned by Nixon’s son and she does not believe she should be responsible for $24,000 in impound fees. It was decided that two council members will meet with Zoning official Dwight Wilson and city attorney Matt Gilmore and make a recommendation at the next meeting.